Please welcome Jennifer Reinhardt to the All About Cloth Diaper team! My husband and I are both very excited to have Jennifer join our “family”. After all, this site is an extension of us! Jennifer will be writing weekly for All About Cloth Diapers. It won’t take you long to see just how passionate she is about cloth diapers and babywearing!
Hello, my name is Jennifer and I am a cloth diaper addict. Isn’t the first step admitting you have a problem? :)
While we are talking about admissions, I might as well tell you that I am also very fond of babywearing and wool pants. I have lots of wool pants. Wait, did I say me? I meant my daughter has lots of wool pants!
The first person to plant the cloth diaper seed in my head was actually my wedding photographer. She had cloth diapered her three boys. She mentioned it to me when I called to make an appointment for her to do Sophia’s newborn photos.
I originally started cloth diapering because I thought I would save money (that is a whole other story, lol). But the truth was, I always liked to be just a little different. I didn’t really know anyone that cloth diapered. The first thing I did was go online to research. I was OVERWHELMED. (Probably because I hadn’t found All About Cloth Diapers yet)!
Soon after, I happened to stumble into a baby boutique 45 minutes from my house and discovered they were having a cloth diaper open house the following weekend. My mother drove an hour and a half to go with me. She took one look at the cute little cloth diapers and said, “You can do this”. She had more faith than me! The rest is history.
Now, fast forward 16 months, and I have a few more admissions to make. I hate laundry! Even loathe it! But I LOVE washing my cloth diapers. I love seeing how clean they come out and how pretty the shells look hanging above my washer. I look forward to folding my cloth wipes and stacking them by color and all in exactly the same direction.
Not sure why I do it, I don’t think I am that OCD in other areas, but something about having these fluffy pretties all lined up makes my heart sing. But I digress… I actually look forward to diaper laundry day. Younger me would totally be rolling her eyes!
As far as my wool pants, I mean my daughter’s… there are a lot. I stick mostly to upcycled TootieWilly’s and Woollybottoms. But I do have a few interlock Bumby’s thrown in for good measure.
I want to let you in on a little secret, I recently went on a mission to find a pair of red Woollybottom longies I had bought over the summer for a song and tucked away for winter. I searched everywhere and finally found them in a box in the top of my daughter’s closet…. with 3 other longies I didn’t even remember buying! I am sure I got them super cheap in the summer and tucked them away for colder weather. At least that is the story I am telling my husband. And we all need to stick to that one ok?
At the end of the day, have I saved money using cloth? No. Can it be done? Certainly!
What I have gained instead of more money in my pocket is a community. I am a stay at home mom. But I have never felt isolated. I am an active member of a few thriving online chat groups where other mommies like me share our days. We chat about what cute prints are coming out next. Why that diaper might stink out of the dryer. Which detergent we like best.
But beyond babies, fluffy bums and wraps, we share our struggles and triumphs. I have laughed and even cried with these online friends. These ladies that are far and wide and nowhere near me. In spite of the distance, I feel like some of them have become dear friends and shoulders I can lean on.
For whatever it is worth, I am so grateful that I am a cloth diaper addict!
Jenn is a long-time cloth diaper educator and a passionate small business advocate. She has worked in the reusable diaper industry for over a decade, helping millions of families via her websites All About Cloth Diapers, Thinking About Cloth Diapers and Cloth Diaper Geek as well as hundreds of small businesses during that time. Her goal always to provide simple, reliable information.
Amy Hall says
I’m hoping you know the answer to my question. I have been looking for some cloth diapers from maybe the 1990s. They were all white, thin, rectangular (approximately 20″x24″), and cottony. They are by far my favorite. I have ONE. Do you know anything about them – who made them, where they might sell them? They might be on ebay, because I keep getting ads for vintage Curity diapers that have “Curity” stamped on them, but the ones I am looking for are not that old, nor are they stamped.
Jennifer Reinhardt says
Hey Amy! Would you be able to take a pic and email it to me at jenn at allaboutclothdiapers .com?
Abigail Morris says
Welcome Jennifer! I am sure all are looking forward to your posts/ articles. P.s i totally started cloth diapering just because i thought they were cute! haha
Jennifer Reinhardt says
Hi Abigail! Thanks for the welcome! I look at it like this: First, Cloth diapers are amazing and so good for my baby and the environment. Second, my husband collects things why can’t I have a hobby too? :)